• April 27, 2025
• Behind the Scenes

New Job Opening: Retail Manager

Help the Archive realize its potential as the premier shop to buy design books and gifts. Apply by May 18.

Letterform Archive is seeking an experienced and exceptional retailer to help us realize the full potential of our retail sales. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Retail Manager is responsible for local and online retail sales and merchandising, developing the merchandise mix, maintaining efficient warehousing and fulfillment operations, and providing excellent customer service. 

About Letterform Archive

Letterform Archive is a nonprofit center for inspiration, education, and community. We offer hands-on access to a curated collection of over 100,000 items related to lettering, typography, calligraphy, and graphic design. Every year, we serve thousands around the world, including students, practitioners, and design enthusiasts. In addition to hosting visits and public events, the Archive serves our global community through social media and an online archive featuring state-of-the-art photography. Our education program includes a year-long certificate program in type design available to students worldwide. We also curate exhibitions and publish books about our holdings.

Learn about working at the Archive

Responsibilities

Management & Administration

• Develop annual retail budget, drive revenue to meet or exceed goals, and control expenses. Review results relative to budget and other key retail metrics regularly with the Executive Director.
• Hire, train, and supervise retail and fulfillment staff, including seasonal hires. Train Aarchive staff in retail procedures as needed.
• Enhance and implement retail policies and procedures. 
• Contribute to org-wide strategic planning and quarterly reporting with the leadership team and board.
• Oversee warehouse operations, including receiving and shipping pallets, organization, and monthly physical inventory.
• You’ll be trained in and expected to master every task you oversee, and pinch-hit as needed for members of your team.

Buying & Merchandising

• Collaborate with Executive Director and contractors on buildout of lobby shop, and development of Letterform Archive merchandise.
• Recommend enhanced merchandise mix, including books and other products not made by us.
• Organize, price, and merchandise our stock of Used & Rare books (deaccessioned duplicates from the collection). Plan and execute periodic Used & Rare book sales.
• Oversee turnkey print-on-demand program.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Publishing to develop and implement retail promotions.

Local Retail

• Schedule and oversee gallery attendants, and train them in retail sales and procedures.
• Maintain and update Square inventory and cash flow accounting.
• Refresh and maintain retail display of all products.
• Plan and coordinate logistics and staffing for off- site retail opportunities. Attend most (some involve travel, evenings and weekends).

Online Retail

• Schedule and oversee part- time and temporary packing help, and train them in shipping procedures.
• Maintain and update online shop in collaboration with web developer, including campaigns, discounts, and sales.
• Ensure consistent product photography, descriptions, and branding in our online shop. 
• Maintain and update BigCommerce inventory and cash flow accounting.
• Optimize online shop listings and UX flows to improve results.
• Oversee fulfillment and shipping of orders.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Publishing on crowdfunding campaigns, and handle promotions, backer updates, fulfillment, and customer service.
• Explore opportunities to expand into additional sales channels, including listing Used & Rare books.

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years in retail management, preferably including both local and online sales.
• Experience buying and developing a merchandise mix.
• Experience with retail platforms like Square, BigCommerce, and ShipStation.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; flexibility and comfort in a rapidly changing environment, and ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines; high degree of integrity and dependability.

Ideal Qualifications

In addition to the minimum qualifications above, an ideal candidate would have some, but not necessarily all, of the following qualifications as well:

• Nonprofit retail experience.
• Interest in design, typography, or publishing.
• Excellent supervision and people-management skills and a proven ability to mentor, motivate, and support through inclusive leadership practices and collaborative problem solving.

Position Type, Schedule, and Location

This is a full-time, exempt position working 40 hours per week during our normal office hours in addition to nights and weekends as required, onsite at Letterform Archive’s offices in San Francisco.

Compensation and Benefits

The pay rate for this role is between $65,000 and $85,000 per year depending on candidate experience and qualifications. 

Letterform Archive offers the following benefits to all full-time employees:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage with subsidized dependent coverage
• Three weeks of Paid Time Off each year with incentive accrual up to four weeks per year
• 10 paid holidays per year
• Sick leave
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Pre-tax commuter benefit
• Annual professional development budget
• Complimentary Archive membership, and waived tuition to Archive workshops

You’ll be surrounded by — and able to interact with — beautiful, meaningful materials from the Archive’s collection, as well as a diverse and dynamic community of those who love letters and design. Your colleagues will be a small group of people who are passionate about the organization and eager to share their enthusiasm through their work.

Physical Demands

The Retail Manager will regularly be required to perform desk-based computer tasks, including using a computer screen for long periods of time, typing, and making phone calls. They will use a pallet jack and stacker to move pallets, and will regularly pack and ship heavy boxes and move heavy carts. If needed, the Archive will provide reasonable accommodations to an employee with a disability to enable them to perform the essential functions of their job.

Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination

Letterform Archive is an equal opportunity workplace, community, and place of learning. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. The Archive does not discriminate in employment or in offering educational services and programs. Learn more. 

COVID-19 Vaccination Policy

To ensure the health and safety of the Archive’s community, all newly hired employees of Letterform Archive are required to be fully-vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment, absent qualifying exemptions for medical, religious, or other reasons in accordance with all applicable laws.

How to Apply

Please apply by submitting a résumé and a cover letter explaining your interest in this position on this website by Sunday, May 18, 2025. You may address your cover letter to “hiring team” and it should be no more than one page. The most effective cover letters explain your interest in Letterform Archive and this position, and make clear how your qualifications match this role’s responsibilities.

Letterform Archive is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance applying or have questions about accommodation during the hiring process, please email [email protected].

Salary

$65,000–$85,000 per year